Candlesticks
by Blackrose715378
Summary: Formatting fixed


A/N: Ok, wrote this a few months ago, but was too lazy to post it.

Jefferson Smith woke up from his dream with a start. Momentarily forgetting where he was, he re-acclimated himself by looking around at his darkened office. He realized he was hungry. He was always hungry after that dream. He almost pressed the intercom button to ask his secretary to go get him a brownie before he realized what time it was. His secretary had gone home hours ago. Everyone had gone home hours ago. Checking his watch, he discovered that it was already 10 PM. He'd better get moving.

Heading down to the cafeteria, he glanced repeatedly at his watch, making sure that he was still on schedule despite his nap. He stopped in his tracks as he recognized the feeling of butterflies in his stomach. I'm nervous, he thought, with a sense of wonderment. Daily, he confronted terrorist threats and apocalyptic scenarios that somehow must be handled by his crazed adopted son, and he never got this feeling. Incredible that such a feeling could come from the thought of having dinner.

Quickly shaking out the white cloth tablecloth, he draped it over one of the plastic tables in the cafeteria. After this came the slipcovers for the chairs, and the table settings. Last came the two white candles. As he dimmed the lights, he felt a second thrill. Jefferson Smith hardly ever got any time to relax, and when he did, he appreciated his alone time, and always had. However, that was until he found the person he liked to spend his alone time with. The one person in the world that was all he needed.

Sitting down with his back to the door, he nervously traced a thread on the tablecloth, wondering, as always, if his company would be able to join him. They both had such busy lives, and coupled with insane work schedules, it was difficult to arrange a time for both of them to be together. He had just checked his watch for about the twentieth time when he felt two arms slide gently over his shoulders. With a sigh, he leaned back into the hug.

"Sorry I'm late," the newcomer breathed.

"You're worth waiting for," Smith answered, smiling up at the figure above him.

Taking the other seat directly across from the N-Tek CEO, Jean Mairot gazed at him lovingly. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Too long," Smith confirmed.

"I've been trying to come. But it's difficult with-"

"Let's not talk shop now. We've been living it all day. For now, let's just eat."

The two enjoyed the late dinner in silence, as they always did. They both knew how to savor the moment, as both had led similar lives in which they had learned that nothing lasted forever. Finally, over glasses of wine, they talked.

"I want to see you more."

"You know that can't happen."

"He hasn't been watching me as closely lately. Surely I could slip out from time to time," Mairot protested. His eyes pleaded with Jefferson. "I don't know how long I can keep this up. It was supposed to be short-term. I never knew we would have to be apart for so long."

Jefferson looked down at his glass. Years ago, Mairot had agreed to be a mole in John Dread's organization. Unfortunately, to make it that far, he had to seemingly betray his own co-workers- people he had valued and trusted for years. Even if the whole deal ever came out into the open, and was explained to everyone, he would never be fully accepted at N-Tek again. Too many trusts had been betrayed. If he and Smith were ever seen together, it would mean ruin for them both.

Mairot knew this. He had more to risk than Jefferson. John Dread would certainly solve his problem in a much more decisive way than N-Tek would solves theirs. Every year for eight years they had sat together on this date- the anniversary of the betrayal, of the end of Mairot's existence at N-Tek. And the end of any chance they would ever have of being happy together. They hadn't known it at that time- hadn't known that Jefferson would be forced to be more loyal to his company and to his adopted son than his long-time companion. Mairot had hoped that by playing this important part for N-Tek, by showing such a degree of self-sacrifice, he would become that much more valuable to Jefferson.

They had tried to stay together. It had always been them against the world. Their relationship had always been secret, as it had to be. Such a thing would bring shame to both of them in a community that still just didn't understand.

So every October 11, they would sit in the N-Tek cafeteria, midnight ghosts in a place they both used to belong, in a place where they could once find happiness together. They feigned satisfaction, they tried to recreate the old times and act like everything was as it had always been. But there was still space between them. They would always love each other, but every year it became more and more apparent that it would have to be from afar. The 'somedays' would never come true, and the wishes had been forgotten. For now this was all they had. Two candlesticks in the darkness of the old building on one night a year.


End file.
